It's funny because it's (universally) true.
Doing research for the novel the other day, I came across the mother lode of handy information on the art business. And what impresses me is how similar some things are the world over--or at least among the creative arts. Like this tongue-in-cheek article on How Not to Succeed in the Art World. Just change 'art' to 'novel/short story/epic poetry,' 'gallery' to 'magazine' and...you have a pretty good guide to how not to succeed with fiction. And probably music, indie films, and nude ballet* as well.
*No, I have no idea how you could possibly not succeed with nude ballet. Probably best not to think about it too much.